Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice who’s become the latest YouTube sensation, told the CBS Early Show Wednesday in an emotional interview that he’s proud his 92-year-old mother can witness his life-changing rise to fame, and believes it’s a gift from God.

“I’m just so, so happy,” he said, before belting out a crisp promo for CBS News.

“I’m gonna be going to New York, hopefully this afternoon… I apologize,” Williams said, holding back tears. “I’m getting a little emotional. I haven’t seen my mom in a great deal of time. She doesn’t believe it. She’s 92. She lives in Brooklyn. I was born and raised in Brooklyn.”

Williams, 53, said he figured the year 2010 was a wasted year, but now realizes it was time well spent, as he said he found God. He compared himself to a lottery winner in getting a new lease on life — most notably, the chance to make his mother proud.

“One of my biggest prayers that I sent out was that [my mother] would live long enough for me to see me rebound or whatever, and I guess God kept her around and kept my pipes around to maybe just have one more shot that I would be able to say, ‘Mom, I did do it before,'” he said.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Williams’ name has been all over the web after a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch noticed his panhandling sign touting his amazing vocal talents — and sure enough, he unleashed a distinct, deep, rich voice, tailor-made for the masses. Williams told the reporter (in a now-viral YouTube clip) he’s got a background in broadcasting, having gone to school for it. He said he worked a number of stints on different stations until “alcohol and drugs and a few other things became a part of my life.”